Information About Protecting the Rights of Parents and Children from a Paternity Lawyer in Carlsbad, CA

The laws involving parent rights give each parent certain rights and responsibilities which depend on establishing a legal relationship between fathers and their children. Proving paternity ensures that children receive the financial support that they deserve and the chance to build meaningful relationships with both of their parents. A Paternity Lawyer in Carlsbad, CA will show how there is a link between paternity cases and child support and how this is crucial in order to protect the rights of both parents and their children, not only now but also in the future.

The Importance
of Establishing Paternity

In California and
most other states, parental rights law assumes that the husband is
the natural father of any child born into wedlock. However, in
situations where a child’s parents weren’t married, paternity will
have to be proven before awarding child support to the mother. Then,
for fathers, the stakes may be higher, as they will not have rights
to custody or visitation unless they take legal responsibility for
their children.

Declaration of
Paternity

Many people don’t
realize that simply entering a person’s name on a birth certificate
doesn’t make them the legal father to a child. As a result of
legislation that took place in 1997, if the parents of a child are
not legally married, the father’s name will not be added to the birth
certificate unless they sign a Declaration of Paternity in the
hospital, or pay a fee later to amend the birth certificate after
legally establishing paternity through the courts.

There are
benefits to taking care of this early on. Besides the obvious
reasons, it will make it easier for the child to learn medical
histories of both parents should there ever be the need to know this
information, and it will allow the child to benefit from the father’s
health care coverage. Also, should something tragic happen, the child
would be allowed to receive Social Security or Veterans’ dependent or
survivor’s benefits if eligible.

If you are currently involved in a paternity dispute or possibly trying to collect past due child support, it is time to call a paternity lawyer in Carlsbad, CA. For personalized legal assistance and an attorney with a personal touch, turn to the Law Office of Cynthia Ann Harris. They have the expertise to guide you through the process and help you achieve the best possible outcome. For additional information, browse our website.